Undergraduate Courses at Swinburne
Swinburne offers university courses, also known as degrees or undergraduate programs, at its Hawthorn and Prahran campuses.
Undergraduate course options and terminology:
- UniLink (higher education diploma)
- Associate degree
- Degree
- Double degree
- Electives
- Electives Plus
- Honours
- Major
- Minor
UniLink (higher education diploma)
UniLink diplomas are accredited as an award-level higher education diploma and provide a direct academic pathway to second-year university. They are equivalent to first-year university and will prepare you for second-year entry to your chosen bachelor degree.
UniLink programs are available in Business, Design, Engineering and Information Technology. The course content is based on first year of a bachelor degree, but classes are smaller and you have more one-on-one time with your teachers. This additional support helps you adjust to university study. They are offered to domestic students as Commonwealth Supported Places.
Associate degree
An associate degree is a two-year undergraduate degree that is typically equivalent to the first one and a half years of a Bachelor Degree, plus six months of TAFE studies.
The entry requirements for associate degrees are a little more relaxed than the equivalent bachelor degree, with the ATAR range being lower.
Graduates fast track their way into a relevant bachelor degrees and typically receive one and half years worth of exemptions.
Degree
Degree courses, also known as bachelor degrees or undergraduate courses, require a minimum of three years (or equivalent part-time) and 24 units of study. They provide students with a professional qualification.
Entry usually requires satisfactory completion of the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE), and in some cases certain prerequisite studies, or their equivalent, or an appropriate level of TAFE studies.
Many degrees at Swinburne offer an optional Industry-Based Learning (IBL) year, education abroad opportunities and an additional specialised honours year. A number of double degree courses are also available.
Pathways
Interested in moving from a TAFE qualification into an undergraduate degree?
Swinburne pathways will help you make the transition.
Double degree
Double degrees combine two areas of study.
On completion of their studies, graduates are awarded two degrees.
In terms of study duration, a double degree can save lots of time. Instead of taking the same time as two (separate) degrees, a double degree usually only takes a year longer to complete than a single degree.
Electives
Electives are stand-alone subjects that you can undertake as part of your course. They may build on an area of professional interest, or may just be an area you are eager to learn more about.Electives Plus
Swinburne offered Electives Plus for the first time in 2007.
Since then it has become a popular point of difference, providing degree students with options to broaden their career skills and strengthen their employability by allowing them to select from units outside their degree discipline.
Honours
Many degrees at Swinburne offer an additional specialised honours year. An honours year is intended to provide students who possess demonstrated academic ability the opportunity to pursue their undergraduate studies at an advanced level. This allows them to deepen their intellectual understanding in their major field and to develop their research skills.The honours course is a recognised point of entry into postgraduate research studies.
Honours students are required to complete a substantial original piece of research for their thesis, developing their ability to conceptualise problems, devise research strategies and carry out individual research work under the supervision of a member of staff with expertise in the area.
